The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Indileni Daniel, has called for stronger institutional and technical support to fully implement Namibia's Access and Benefit Sharing Framework (ABS).
Daniel was speaking at the conclusion of the country's first national ABS training programme in Windhoek.
Daniel emphasised that while Namibia has strong legislation and collaboration in place, effective execution remains critical to protect the country's biological resources and ensure benefits reach its people.
The ABS framework is rooted in the Nagoya Protocol and Namibia's Access to Biological and Genetic Resources Act.
It is designed to guide how genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge are accessed and how benefits are shared.
Daniel connected the implementation of ABS to larger national goals, such as making better use of natural resources, giving young people more power, and promoting sustainable development.
She highlighted the potential for the framework to drive economic transformation, create jobs, and support local communities through value addition.
"So these economic drivers, when we think, we always need to be economic in our country, so these are one of our economic drivers. And it's within our green economy framework; it's also captured there. The ministry's 2025-2026 budget confirms the operationalisation of the ABS office to manage benefit-sharing agreements and material transfer. Yes, it's good to start, even if you don't have enough, rather than not to start at all."
The bioeconomy currently contributes approximately 4.5% to GDP and is projected to increase to 7% through the development of value chains.
"Our biodiversity-based value chains like the Devil's Claw, Marula, Namibia's Myrrh and the resurrection plant, amongst others, just some of them, represent a real economic potential for rural communities, for women and for youth."
The training equipped researchers, regulators, law enforcement and media with skills in Prior Informed Consent, compliance monitoring and biodiversity reporting.
An ABS Advisory Committee has been established to guide policy and matters relating to access and benefit sharing, while a technical Ad Hoc Expert Committee is still to be finalised.